JP2004243727A - Ribbon cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ribbon cassette whereby a ribbon can be immediately wound even when the ribbon is erroneously loosened during the non-using time, reverse rotation of the ribbon can be prevented irrespective of the amount of the wound ribbon, a cassette can be reduced in size, and leakage of confidential information can be prevented because the ribbon wound around a winding core after printing is hardly pulled out. <P>SOLUTION: This ribbon cassette is constituted so that a core is formed such that a plurality of ribs each having an inclined section are formed on its inner face and rib receptive sections each having an opposing inclined section inclined in the same direction as that of the rib are continuously formed on a reverse rotation preventive member, the rib receptive sections on the reverse rotation preventive member and the ribs on the core are engaged with each other, and in the case where the ribbon cassette is not loaded to a printer, the core can be rotated in only one direction because of the engagement of the ribs with the rib receptive sections. In the case where the ribbon cassette is loaded to the printer, the rib receptive sections are away from the ribs so that the core can be freely rotated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a ribbon cassette, and more particularly, to a ribbon cassette that accommodates, for example, a thermal transfer ribbon, a hot stamp ribbon, and the like, and has a reverse rotation preventing function that is used by being mounted on a recording device such as a printer.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In a recording apparatus such as a printer, a thermal transfer method is known as one method for printing on a recording medium such as paper. As an example of this method, printing is performed by applying heat to the ink ribbon from a thermal head of a recording device and transferring the ink of the ribbon to the paper while pressing a ribbon-shaped ink sheet coated with ink on paper or the like. A hot-melt transfer system for recording a pattern on paper may be used.
[0003]
In the above method, from the viewpoint of easy attachment of the ink ribbon to the recording apparatus, a form using a ribbon cassette in which the ink ribbon is accommodated in a cassette case and the entire case is attached to the recording apparatus is generally used. Has been done. In recent years, from the viewpoints of space saving, resource saving, environmental protection, and the like, attempts to reduce the size of the cassette case have been made frequently in recent years. In addition, printed contents may leak from printed marks on the ribbon after printing, and the use of a tightly sealed cassette case is also increasing from the viewpoint of preventing secret leakage of the ribbon after printing.
[0004]
Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-77787 proposes a rewind preventing mechanism using a gear formed integrally with a take-up spool (core). This is a mechanism for preventing unwinding of the spool (core) when the cassette is removed from the printer, and is provided with a stopper whose tip is removed from the teeth when the cassette is mounted on the typewriter. However, a gear must be provided separately, and to prevent the ribbon from hitting the stopper when all the ribbon is wound, the gear must be larger than the maximum winding diameter of the ribbon. It is necessary to provide a cassette, and there is a problem that the size of the cassette is increased unless the supply core and the take-up core are arranged in two stages, as in this example. In addition, when the ribbon is made up and down, the running of the ribbon is twisted, which causes wrinkles and meandering, which results in poor printing.
[0005]
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-34043 discloses that a part of a reel (core) has a shaft part supported by a bearing part of a cassette case, an anti-rotation part located outside the shaft part, and an axial projection. The provided reel (core) pressing leaf spring prevents rotation when not in use, and when used, the reel (core) is pressed in the opposite direction to release the lock of the rotation prevention unit and become rotatable. Has been proposed. In this case, since the leaf spring that urges the locking force also serves as the stopper, there is little problem in fully locking, but it is not suitable for fine rotation control such as controlling rotation in only one direction, and is unstable. It was something. In addition, due to the nature of the leaf spring, it is designed to be biased slightly in the locking direction to ensure locking, but if the biasing force is too strong, the lock cannot be completely released during use and travels It is not preferable because it may cause a fatal problem that defects occur.
[0006]
Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 4-67064 has a concavo-convex portion provided at an end of a core so as to be engaged with an engaging portion with a cassette body, and is wound by being biased in a core axial direction by a spring member. It has been proposed to prevent loosening and release the lock by urging the printer with a force exceeding the urging force of the spring during use.
However, since the urging force during use of the cassette is greater than the urging force during non-use, a relatively large constant urging force continues to be applied even during use, which hinders free rotation. That is, since the vehicle travels while constantly applying a constant brake, a load is applied to the printer and the cassette body.
[0007]
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-77787 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-34043 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-67064 [0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to propose a ribbon cassette that solves the above-mentioned problems, and proposes means for solving such a problem.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has completed a ribbon cassette of the present invention by providing a core having a rib of a specific shape and a reverse rotation preventing member corresponding to the core to suppress rotation.
That is, the present invention
"1. Prevention of reverse rotation in which a supply core formed by winding at least a ribbon on a cassette body, a winding core for winding the ribbon, and a cassette body are not rotatable and slidably slidable in a direction along the axis of the core. A ribbon cassette that is mounted on a printer, performs recording via a ribbon fed from the supply core, and winds the ribbon with the take-up core. The rib is formed by providing a slanted portion in which the rib end is located on the inner side in the direction along the axis from the core end and is inclined only in one rotation direction of the core. A rib receiving portion provided with an opposed inclined portion inclined in the same inclination direction as the inclined inclined portion of the rib is formed continuously, and the reverse rotation is prevented by a biasing means provided between the cassette body and the reverse rotation preventing member. By biasing the member toward the core, The rib receiving portion of the reverse rotation preventing member is engaged with the rib of the core, and when the printer is not mounted, the core can rotate in only one direction due to the engagement of the rib of the core and the rib receiving portion of the reverse rotation preventing member. When the printer is mounted, the rotation shaft of the printer is inserted into the inside of the core, and the tip of the rotation shaft pushes the reverse rotation preventing member, whereby the rib receiving portion of the reverse rotation preventing member and the core are moved. A ribbon cassette, wherein the core is rotatable with a rib separated therefrom.
2. 2. The ribbon cassette according to claim 1, wherein an end of the rib formed on the core has the inclined portion and a cutout provided on a side opposite to the rotation direction. 3. ".
[0010]
According to the above ribbon cassette, even if the ribbon is loosened accidentally when not in use, it can be wound up promptly, especially when used for a winding core, since the printed ribbon is less likely to be pulled out intentionally, resulting in secret leakage. In addition to this, excellent effects can be obtained such that reverse rotation can be reliably prevented regardless of the magnitude of the winding amount of the ribbon, and the cassette can be downsized.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0011]
The ribbon cassette according to the present invention includes a cassette body 9 and a supply core 1-1 wound around at least the ribbon 10 accommodated therein, and a winding core 1-2 wound around the ribbon 10, and meshes with the core. A reverse rotation preventing member 6 is provided, and the ribbon 10 is fed out from the supply core 1-1, and while the take-up rotation shaft 13 of the printer is taken up by the take-up core 1-2 inserted therein, the ribbon 10 is used. This is a ribbon cassette used for a recording mechanism for performing recording.
[0012]
The core 1 has a cylindrical shape having a plurality of ribs 2 on an inner surface thereof so that a rotary shaft 13 of the printer can be inserted therein. As shown in FIG. It has an inclined portion 3 which is located further inward in the direction along the axis (L1 portion) and is inclined only in one rotation direction of the core 1, so that it cannot rotate with respect to the main body and has a core. The reverse rotation can be prevented by engaging with a reverse rotation preventing member 6 which is loosely slidably fitted in a direction along the axis of the first member.
[0013]
The reverse rotation preventing member 6 is formed continuously with a rib receiving portion 7 provided with an opposed inclined portion inclined in the same inclination direction as the inclined inclined portion 3 of the core rib 2, and a projection is provided on a side surface of the reverse rotation preventing member 6 in the cassette body 9. Is loosely fitted to the cassette body so as to be non-rotatable and slidable in the direction along the core axis by providing a sliding groove dug only in the core axis direction.
[0014]
In the ribbon cassette according to the present invention, the rib receiving portion 7 of the reverse rotation preventing member 6 is inserted into the step portion 5 formed by the rib 2 located inside in the direction along the axis with the core end portion 4. The reverse rotation preventing member 6 is urged toward the core by the urging means 8 provided between the cassette main body 9 and the reverse rotation preventing member 6, so that the rib receiving portion 7 of the reverse rotation preventing member 6 When the printer is not mounted (FIG. 3A), the rib 2 of the core 1 is meshed with the rib 2 of the core 1 and the rib receiving portion 7 of the reverse rotation preventing member 6 so that the core can rotate in only one direction. None, when the printer is mounted (FIG. 3B), the rotating shaft 13 of the printer is inserted into the inside of the core 1 and the tip of the rotating shaft pushes the reverse rotation preventing member 6, thereby causing the rotation preventing member 6 to rotate. 6 and the rib 2 of the core 1 are separated from each other. 1 is what is configured to be rotatable.
[0015]
That is, the end of the rib 2 is inclined only in one direction, and the reverse rotation preventing member 6 is provided so as to be slidable by providing the urging means 8 in the direction along the axis of the core. , The rotation is controlled. The two inclined portions are disposed so as to face each other. However, when the core 1 is rotated in the inclined direction, the core 1 is shifted so as to climb the inclined portion 3, that is, the reverse rotation preventing member 6 is moved in the core axial direction. It slides against the urging force so as to escape from the core 1. Thereafter, at the end point of the inclined portion, the original engagement state is established by the urging force of the urging means 8, so that the core 1 functions to rotate in one rotation direction. Conversely, even if the non-inclined portions, that is, the surfaces that stand upright in the direction along the axis of the core, rotate in the relative direction, they rotate in the reverse direction because they are geared with inverted teeth and mesh with each other. Reverse rotation is prevented so as not to occur. Thereby, even when the ribbon is unwound out by another core or the like which does not have the mechanism of the present invention when not in use, the ribbon can be wound by the mechanism of the present invention. It is particularly preferable to employ the winding core because the printed ribbon is less likely to be intentionally pulled out, so that secret leakage can be prevented. It goes without saying that it is more effective if adopted for both the supply core and the winding core.
[0016]
Here, the secret leakage prevention function cannot be released unless the same operation as the urging release means of the printer is performed when the ribbon is not used. That is, a bar or the like having a length greater than the core length is inserted into the core from the core opening into which the printer rotation shaft is inserted, the reverse rotation preventing member 6 is pushed, and the lock is released unless the engagement is released. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the secret from being leaked even though the structure is simpler than other stopper mechanisms.
[0017]
On the other hand, if the rotation of the core is prohibited in both directions when not in use and the core is completely fixed, even if the ribbon is loosened for some reason, the looseness cannot be wound up. In addition, it has been found that manual winding of the ribbon by the user before mounting the ribbon is less likely to interfere with the printing operation after the printer is mounted, and that the user has no problem running the ribbon. If you want to try it, you will try a manual driving test, but with a completely fixed type you can not do such a test and it is a factor that gives you anxiety about whether you can run safely, so there were many problems . According to the structure of the present invention, those problems can be solved.
[0018]
In addition, since the engagement locking portion for preventing reverse rotation also serves as a rib of the core, a locking portion is provided inside the core, which eliminates the need for gears and the like exposed to the outside, and takes up the ribbon when the ribbon is taken up. It is possible to freely design a cassette without worrying about the outer diameter and the like. That is, when the gear 11 or the like is provided outside as shown in FIG. 6, the wound ribbon 10 and the locking member 12 do not come into contact before the start of use (supply core) or immediately before the end of use (winding core). Such as designing the gear 11 having an outer diameter exceeding the winding outer diameter, a difference in outer diameter occurs between the outer peripheral surface of the core 1 and the outer peripheral surface 10 of the ribbon as shown by the dotted line, and the outer peripheral surface of the ribbon It is necessary to provide a large gear 11 in accordance with the number 10, but according to the configuration of the present invention, this is not necessary. When the amount of ribbon to be used is small, a small cassette can be used, and the amount of ribbon has increased. Also in this case, since the cassette is not designed with the amount of the take-up ribbon being considered in the first place, the reverse rotation can be reliably prevented. Further, since the core can be made compact, there is an effect that space can be saved even when the core is distributed as a member. In general, the ribbon outer diameter immediately after the use, that is, immediately before the end of the ribbon wound around the winding core is larger than the ribbon outer diameter before the start of use wound around the supply core. Employing the present invention is more effective and preferable.
[0019]
In the core 1 of the present invention, the end of the rib 2 is located on the inner side in the direction along the axis from the core end 4 (FIG. 1: L1 portion). Thereby, the step portion 5 into which the reverse rotation preventing member 6 is inserted into the core can be formed, and the rattle of the reverse rotation preventing member 6 is prevented, and the sitting of the reverse rotation preventing member 6 is improved. Further, if the end of the rib 2 is positioned inside by the height of the reverse rotation preventing member 6, that is, if the length L1 is longer than the height (L2 length) of the reverse rotation preventing member 6, the core of the cassette main body is formed. There is no protrusion in the axial direction, and the cassette can be reduced in size. (Not shown)
[0020]
Further, the inclined portion 3 may be formed so that the end of the rib 2 of the core 1 has the inclined portion 3 and the cutout portion 14 provided on the opposite side of the rotation direction. The smaller the length of the inclined portion 3 in the rotation direction with respect to the core circumferential length, that is, the smaller the rotation angle occupied by the inclined portion 3 of one rib 2, the smaller the payout pitch can be made. Even when the width of the rib 2 is determined by the relationship with the drive shaft 13 of the printer, the rotation pitch can be reduced, so that the tension and looseness of the ribbon can be reduced as much as possible. This is because finer rotation control can be performed as the rotation pitch is smaller.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention enables the ribbon to be quickly wound even if the ribbon is loosened accidentally when not in use, and in particular, when used in a winding core, the printed ribbon is less likely to be intentionally pulled out. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the secret from being leaked and to surely prevent the reverse rotation irrespective of the magnitude of the winding amount of the ribbon, and to provide an excellent effect that the cassette can be downsized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a core and a rotation preventing member of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a ribbon cassette of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another example of the core of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional core.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Core body 1-1 Supply core 1-2 Winding core 2 Rib 3 Inclined part 4 Core end part 5 Step part 6 Reverse rotation prevention member 7 Rib receiving part 8 Urging means 9 Cassette body 10 Ribbon 11 Reverse rotation prevention gear 12 Stop member 13 Printer rotation shaft (bias release means)
14 Notch

Claims (2)

The cassette body includes at least a supply core formed by winding a ribbon, a winding core that winds the ribbon, and a reverse rotation preventing member that is non-rotatable with respect to the cassette body and slidably fits in a direction along the axis of the core. A ribbon cassette attached to a printer, performs recording via a ribbon fed from the supply core, and winds the ribbon with the winding core, wherein a plurality of ribs are provided on an inner surface of the core. The rib end portion is formed inside by providing an inclined portion which is located inward in the direction along the axis from the core end portion and is inclined only with respect to one rotation direction of the core, and the rib is provided on the reverse rotation preventing member. A rib receiving portion provided with an opposed inclined portion inclined in the same inclined direction as the inclined inclined portion is formed continuously, and the reverse rotation preventing member is cored by urging means provided between the cassette main body and the reverse rotation preventing member. By reversing the side The rib receiving portion of the stop member is engaged with the rib of the core, and when the printer is not mounted, the core is rotatable in only one direction by the engagement of the rib of the core and the rib receiving portion of the reverse rotation preventing member, When the printer is mounted, the rotation shaft of the printer is inserted into the core, and the tip of the rotation shaft pushes the reverse rotation preventing member, whereby the rib receiving portion of the reverse rotation preventing member and the rib of the core are moved. Wherein the core is rotatable with a distance from the ribbon cassette. 2. The ribbon cassette according to claim 1, wherein an end of the rib formed on the core has the inclined portion and a cutout provided on a side opposite to the rotation direction. 3.

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